Bhubaneswar: Following simultaneous searches at places linked to Odisha Police Housing and Welfare Corporation (OPHWC) deputy manager Pratap Kumar Samal, Vigilance sleuths Wednesday arrested the official for further quizzing.
The search concluded Wednesday morning. He and his family members were found in possession of properties worth crores during the search.
Ten separate teams of the anti-corruption agency carried out the raids on strength of a search warrant issued by the Court of Special Judge, Vigilance in Bhubaneswar. The deputy manager possessed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, a source said.
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Twenty-five immovable properties owned by the official and his wife Sasmita were detected, including 22 plots and three buildings out of which 17 plots and two buildings are in Bhubaneswar and Khurda.
Value of the immovable properties including registration and stamp duty is Rs 3,41,58,412, the market price of which would be higher. Moreover, value of a five-storey building located at Gothapatna is Rs 3,89,60,000, as per self-declaration made by Samal and his wife.
Valuation of other assets is being done by the Technical Wing of Vigilance. Bank deposit of Rs 1,61,35,812.50 in total was found in the accounts of Samal and his family members. Insurance premium of Rs 57,72,150 has also been paid by the family, the sources added.
“Bank accounts of Samal and his family members have been freezed and further investigation is underway. A few moments prior to the raid by Vigilance teams, Samal threw a bag containing unaccounted cash of around Rs 20 lakh to an abandoned building near his house. The Vigilance later seized the bag and cash. A team also seized Rs 38.12 lakh in cash from the house of Samal,” a senior sleuth stated.
It is pertinent to mention, the places raided Tuesday include a three-storey building in IRC Village of Bhubaneswar, a six-storey building in Jayadev Vihar, a single-story building in Sarakantara of Khandagiri, a flat on the second floor in Narendra Villa, a three-storey apartment named Ananya Towers, a three-story apartment at Balisahi locality of Basudevpur in Bhadrak, a temporary residence of his associate at Ananya Towers, ancestral house and a relative’s house, both at Haripur area of Simulia in Balasore, including Samal’s office.
PNN